ASCA News

In its Board Meeting of Sept. 9, 2009, the ASCA Board established a new working principle and objective to develop.

“Our Board has always monitored organizations and their effectiveness in our sport, and last week decided that we feel that FINA can benefit by having direct technical input at the highest levels of the organization, which is the FINA Bureau.,” said Executive Director John Leonard while reporting on the Bureau actions. “We believe that many of the recent FINA decisions from the Bureau could have benefited substantially from having direct input from coaches in our sport, and coaches in the other aquatic disciplines. We’ll be looking for ways and seeking allies, to promote the finest coaches and the elite athletes in every aquatic sport, onto the Bureau level of FINA decision making.”

“While a few people may consider this a revolutionary idea, it is in fact simply a reflection of what is already best practice in both Australia and the United States. Promotion of both coaches and elite athletes to decision making roles has been a historical part of the governance of USA Swimming from its very beginnings and both the ASCA and WSCA Boards strongly believe it is a great model to transfer in some form to FINA, our international governing body. Far from revolutionary, it is evolutionary, and a natural outgrowth from the FINA Coaches and Athletes Commissions, and clearly much needed. Swimming is now a professional sport. A segment of the highest decision making body in the sport also needs to be professional and not composed entirely of amateurs.”

The World Swimming Coaches Association Board of Directors endorsed the same set of principles last week as well.